Electric cooking apparatus

ABSTRACT

Various embodiments of a portable cooking apparatus are disclosed. For example, in one embodiment, a portable cooking system is provided comprising a cooking plate having a continuous cooking surface, a heating element assembly disposed beneath the cooking surface, a temperature controller for varying the temperature of the cooking surface, and a base that supports the cooking plate on an underlying surface. The base comprises an integrally formed drip pan located beneath the cooking surface, the integrally formed drip pan comprising a recessed portion formed in a top surface of the base.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 61/220,977, titled ELECTRIC COOKING APPARATUS and filed on Jun.26, 2009, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated byreference for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

Some portable cookers may include a solid cooktop. Unlike open cooktopgrills, solid cooktops may cause food juices and residue to accumulatewhere the food is being cooked. This may have a deleterious effect onfood taste and quality. Therefore, such cookers may require manualdirection of accumulated grease and juice away from food with spatulasor scrapers.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments of portable cooking apparatuses are disclosed. Forexample, in one embodiment, a portable cooking system is providedcomprising a cooking plate having a continuous cooking surface, aheating element assembly disposed beneath the cooking surface, atemperature controller for varying the temperature of the cookingsurface, and a base that supports the cooking plate on an underlyingsurface. The base comprises an integrally formed drip pan locatedbeneath the cooking surface, the integrally formed drip pan comprising arecessed portion formed in a top surface of the base.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore,the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solveany or all disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a cooking apparatusaccording to the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 schematically shows an embodiment of a control panel according tothe present disclosure.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of an embodiment of a cooking apparatusaccording to the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 shows a side view of another embodiment of a cooking apparatusaccording to the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 shows a front view of an embodiment of a cooking apparatusaccording to the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 shows a rear view of an embodiment of a cooking apparatusaccording to the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 shows a top view of an embodiment of a cooking apparatusaccording to the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 shows a bottom view of an embodiment of a cooking apparatusaccording to the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 shows an exploded view of an embodiment of a heating elementassembly and an embodiment of a cooking plate according to the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 10 shows an embodiment of a heating element according to thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 11 shows a flowchart for an embodiment of a method of heating aplurality of heating zones in an electric cooking apparatus according tothe present disclosure.

FIG. 12 shows a side view of an embodiment of an electric cookingapparatus schematically illustrating a change in curvature according tothe present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments related to electric cooking apparatuses for both indoor andoutdoor use are disclosed herein. FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of afirst example embodiment of a cooking apparatus 10. Cooking apparatus 10includes a cooking plate 11 having a substantially continuous cookingsurface 12 and a heating surface disposed on an opposite side of cookingplate 11 as cooking surface 12. The term “substantially continuous” asused herein indicates that substantially the entire cooking surface isuseable for the cooking of foods, as opposed to a stove top havingheating elements spaced apart by non-cooking surfaces. In someembodiments, cooking plate 11 is formed at least in part from metal.This may permit cooking plate 11 to change shape in response to heatingand/or cooling of cooking plate 11, which may reduce internal stresseswithin cooking plate 11 compared to rigid cookers, such as ceramiccookers. This may help to prolong a service life of cooking plate 11. Assuch, depending on the configuration of cooking plate 11, in someembodiments, a curvature (such as a convexity) of cooking plate 11 maychange in response to thermal expansion and/or contraction. This mayimprove an ability of cooking surface 12 to shed juices during cooking.Example metals include, but are not limited to, stainless steel and mildsteel.

In some embodiments, cooking surface 12 and/or other portions of cookingplate 11 may be coated, for example, with a ceramic layer bonded to themetal via a sintering process, a deposition process, and/or a reactionbonding process. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments,cooking surface 12 may be oil-seasoned or otherwise treated.

While the embodiment of cooking plate 11 depicted herein is shown ashaving a generally flat, circular cooking surface, it will beappreciated that cooking surface 12 may have any suitable shape,profile, surface texture, etc. Examples of suitable shapes include butare not limited to oval, rectangular, other curvilinear and/or polygonalshapes, and combinations thereof.

Cooking plate 11 may be of any suitable thickness. In some embodiments,cooking plate 11 may be between 3/16ths of an inch and ¼ of an inchthick, though it will be appreciated that any other suitable thicknessmay be employed, including thicknesses that vary across cooking plate11. Cooking plate 11 may also be of any suitable size. In someembodiments, cooking plate 11 may have a diameter in a range of, but notlimited to, diameters between 400-640 millimeters. In one specificembodiment, cooking plate 11 has a diameter of 508 millimeters. In otherembodiments, cooking plate 11 may have a diameter outside of this range.

In some embodiments, cooking surface 12 may have a flat configurationedge-to-edge. In some other embodiments, cooking surface 12 may beconvex (crowned) edge-to-edge. For example, FIG. 12 shows an embodimentof a cooking apparatus having a cooking surface profile 13 that isconvex. Where cooking plate 11 is formed at least in part from metal,cooking surface 12 may have a cooking surface profile 13 that varies asa function of cooking surface temperature in response to thermalexpansion and contraction.

As one specific example, cooking surface profile 13 may vary inconvexity responsive to heating and/or cooling of the cooking plate 11.As shown in FIG. 12, for example, cooking surface 12 has a first cookingsurface profile 13A at a first, lower temperature. Upon heating to asecond, higher temperature, cooking surface 12 is shown exhibiting asecond cooking surface profile 13B with a greater convexity. It will beappreciated that the example cooking surface profiles 13A and 13B shownin FIG. 12 are exaggerated for illustrative purposes. In one specific,non-limiting embodiment, a center-to-edge displacement of cookingsurface profile 13 may vary from one-eighth of an inch tothree-sixteenths of an inch as cooking plate 11 is heated or cooled.

While the embodiment shown in FIG. 12 depicts cooking plate 11 as havinga first upward convexity at a first, lower temperature and a secondupward convexity at a second, higher temperature, such that the firstupward convexity is less convex than the second upward convexity, itwill be appreciated that in some embodiments, cooking surface profile 13may transition from a substantially flat profile to a convex profile onheating of cooking plate 11.

Returning to FIG. 1, cooking apparatus 10 may also include a base 14configured to support cooking surface 12 and to house various electroniccomponents of cooking apparatus 10. In some embodiments, base 14 mayinclude a drip pan 16 is provided to prevent spillovers while usingcooking apparatus 10. As depicted in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1,drip pan 16 has a rectangular configuration and a continuousconstruction such that drip pan 16 is integrally formed from base 14,such that drip pan 16 includes a recessed portion formed in a topsurface of base 14. In some embodiments, drip pan 16 may be madeintegral with base 14 by machining drip pan 16 from a single sheet ofstock (e.g., by rolling and/or slip-forming) to form the recessedportion, and then brazing or welding the machined drip pan 16 to a lowerportion of base 14. In the depicted embodiment, a distance around theoutside perimeter of the square drip pan and the inner circular flangeand the underside of the cooking surface is configured to allow of easyreach-in cleaning with a wiping cloth. However, it will be appreciatedthat other suitable shapes and/or configurations of the integrallyformed drip pan may be employed in other embodiments.

It will be appreciated that base 14 and/or drip pan 16 may beconstructed out of any suitable material, including but not limited tostainless steel, aluminum, various polymers, composites, etc. In someembodiments, drip pan 16 may include an integrally formed pedestal 15,which may be formed when drip pan 16 is machined from stock. Pedestal 15is configured to couple cooking plate 11 to drip pan 16 with a gasket17, as shown in FIG. 4. In one scenario, gasket 17 may be formed from asuitable elastomeric material, such as silicone. However, it will beappreciated that in some embodiments, gasket 17 may be formed from metalor any other material suited to a particular application. In someembodiments, an inner pedestal member (not shown) coupled to cookingplate 11 may be coupled, via gasket 17, to pedestal 15. In someembodiments, the inner pedestal member may be formed from stainlesssteel, though it will be appreciated that any suitable material may beemployed.

Returning to FIG. 1, cooking apparatus 10 includes a control systemhaving a control panel 18. Control panel 18 may be configured to allowadjust various functions of the cooking apparatus, such as temperaturesof heating zones, an on/off state of the cooking apparatus, etc. Theheating zones are discussed in detail herein with regard to FIGS. 8 and9. The control panel may utilize buttons, knobs, touch-screen(s), and/orany other suitable input device to allow control of the cookingapparatus.

FIG. 2 illustrates a detailed view of an embodiment of a control panel18. It will be appreciated that the elements shown in the embodiment ofcontrol panel 18 depicted in FIG. 2 are provided for illustrativepurposes only; thus, control panel 18 is not limited to the exampleshown in FIG. 2. The depicted embodiment of control panel 18 includes a“zone” button 20, configured to select the heating zone being adjusted.Additionally, a plurality of temperature control buttons, 22 and 24, areprovided to facilitate adjustment (e.g. increase and decrease) of thetemperature of the selected heating zone. Thus, different regions ofcooking surface 12 may be controllably maintained at differenttemperatures. In some embodiments, control panel 18 may further includea power button 26.

Control panel 18 comprises a first display field 28 and a second displayfield 30. First display field 28 may be configured to present atemperature of a first heating zone and second display field 30 may beconfigured to display a temperature of a second heating zone. Eachdisplay field may include any suitable display device, including but notlimited to light-emitting diodes, liquid crystal displays, organic lightemitting devices, etc. In some embodiments, control panel 18 may includea “hot surface warning” icon 31 indicating that cooking surface 12exceeds a threshold temperature. In some embodiments, the thresholdtemperature may be 150 degrees Fahrenheit. In other embodiments, anothersuitable threshold temperature may be utilized.

The control system may also include a temperature controller (not shown)configured to operate cooking apparatus 10 based upon the temperaturefor each heating zone as selected by a user. When only a single heatingzone is active, the controller is configured to provide power as neededto that heating zone to keep the temperature at the set temperature.When more than one heating zone is active, the controller may beconfigured to alternately supply power to each heating zone, such thatonly one heating zone at a time is supplied with power. In this way,power may be delivered to the heating zones in a cyclical, serialmanner, thereby decreasing the overall power consumption of cookingapparatus 10 compared to the provision of power to multiple heatingzones in parallel. It will be appreciated that the time intervals may beselected and/or adjusted to maintain the inner and the outer heatingzones at desired temperatures, which may be the same or different. Inother embodiments, power may be provided to the multiple heating zonesin parallel.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of an embodiment of cooking apparatus 10. Asshown in FIG. 3, cooking apparatus 10 includes a two carrying handles36. Carrying handles 36 may be used for transporting some embodiments ofcooking apparatus 10. However, it will be appreciated that carryinghandles 36 are optional. For example, FIG. 4 shows a side view ofanother embodiment of cooking apparatus 10 that omits carrying handles36.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a front view and a rear view, respectively, of anembodiment of cooking apparatus 10, and FIG. 7 shows a top view of anembodiment of cooking apparatus 10.

FIG. 8 shows a bottom view of base 14 included in an embodiment ofcooking apparatus 10. Base 14 may include optional feet 32 positionedadjacent to each corner of the cooking apparatus, or in any suitablelocation. Additionally, vents 34 may be provided in some embodiments tofacilitate cooling of the electronic components located inside cookingapparatus 10. In some embodiments, the width as well as the length ofbase 14 may be of a dimension falling within a non-limiting range of 508millimeters to 1016 millimeters; in one specific embodiment, the lengthand width of base 14 is approximately 737 millimeters. In otherembodiments, base 14 may have any other suitable shape, size, number ofvents 34, number of feet 32, etc.

Cooking apparatus 10 may have any suitable height. In some embodiments,the height of the cooking apparatus, measured from the base to thecooking surface, may be within a non-limiting range of 76 millimeters to381 millimeters. In one specific embodiment, the height may beapproximately 197 millimeters. Further, in some embodiments, a height ofbase 14 may be within a non-limiting range of 76 millimeters to 254millimeters. In one specific embodiment, the height of base 14 may beapproximately 117 millimeters. It will be appreciated that thesespecific dimensions are described for illustrative purposes, and thatthese dimensions may have any other suitable values.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exploded view of an embodiment of a heatingelement assembly 37 suitable for use with cooking apparatus 10. Thedepicted heating element assembly 37 includes a heat shield 38, whichmay be formed from metal, such as mild or stainless steel. Heatingelement assembly 37 is also shown as including two insulating sheets: afirst insulating sheet 40, which may be, as a non-limiting example, aninsulating blanket, and a second insulating sheet 44, which may be, as anon-limiting example, a ceramic insulator. In some embodiments, athickness of first insulating sheet 40 may be greater than that ofsecond insulating sheet 44, though it will be appreciated that in someembodiments, another suitable thickness relationship may exist betweenfirst insulating sheet 40 and second insulating sheet 44. In someembodiments, first insulating sheet 40 may have a thickness of one inchand second insulating sheet 44 may have a thickness of approximately0.125 inches. In other embodiments, these components may have othersuitable thicknesses. While the depicted embodiment is shown with twoinsulating sheets, it will be appreciated that, in some embodiments,three or more insulating sheets may be provided. Alternatively, in someembodiments, only a single insulating sheet may be provided, orinsulating sheets may be omitted entirely.

Heating element assembly 37 also includes a compression plate 42.Compression plate 42 compressively couples heating element 46 (describedin more detail below) to the heating surface of cooking plate 11. Thus,compression plate 42 may urge heating element 46 against the heatingsurface and assist in providing conductive heat transfer between heatingelement 46 and cooking plate 11. In some embodiments, compression plate42 may be a flexible compression plate configured to maintain contactbetween heating element 46 (which may be flexible, as described in moredetail below) and cooking plate 11 as cooking surface profile 13 changesshape due to thermal expansion and/or thermal contraction.

In some embodiments, compression plate 42 may be formed at least in partfrom metal and may be configured such that a thermal mass of compressionplate 42 is less than a thermal mass of cooking plate 11, so that moreheat is transferred to the cooking plate than to the compression plate.For example, in some embodiments, a thickness of cooking plate 11 may begreater than a thickness of compression plate 42. In more specificembodiments, a thickness of compression plate 42 may be in anon-limiting range of 0.020-0.125 inches and a thickness of cookingplate 11 may be in a non-limiting range of 3/16ths-¼ inches.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example embodiment of heating element 46. In someembodiments, heating element 46 may be flexible, such that heatingelement 46 may flex to match the conformation of cooking plate 11 as itthermally expands and contracts. This may assist conductive heattransfer between heating element 46 and the heating surface of cookingplate 11 in embodiments where cooking surface profile 13 varies inresponse to heating and/or cooling of cooking plate 11.

In some embodiments, heating element 46 may be a resistance-type heater(e.g., an etched mica heating element). For example, heating element 46may be a resistance-type heater constructed from a thin metal foil ofNiCr, stainless steel, or any other suitable metal for constructing aresistance heater. The thin metal foil may be insulated between twolayers of mica insulation to provide insulating protection from theelectrically charged metal foil and the adjoining metal cooking surfaceand support structure compressing the heating element to the cookingsurface.

Temperature sensors (not shown) may be mounted to or integrated withcooking surface 12 in one or more locations to measure the cookingsurface temperature. Any suitable temperature sensor(s) may be used,including but not limited to one or more thermocouples. In theembodiment shown in FIG. 10 is configured so that three temperaturesensors may be mounted to the cooking surface, where one sensor may beprovided for the inner heating zone and two sensors may be provided forthe outer heating zone. Holes (54, 56, and 58) may be provided throughthe heating element assembly so that the temperature sensors may accessan underside of the cooking surface. Signals from the temperaturesensors may be provided to the controller to allow control of thecooking surface temperature. Examples of typical cooking surfacetemperatures include, but are not limited to, temperatures in a range of225-475 degrees Fahrenheit. It will be understood that any othersuitable number of temperature sensors other than three may be used tomonitor the cooking surface temperature.

In some embodiments, heating element 46 may include two or more heatingzones. As depicted in FIG. 10, heating element 46 includes an innerheating zone 48 and an outer heating zone 50. As such, heating element46 includes terminals for connecting the inner and outer heating zonesto power supplies. In embodiment depicted in FIG. 10, terminals 60 and62 connect inner heating zone 48 to the heating circuit and the thirdand fourth terminals 64 and 66 connect outer heating zone 50 to theheating circuit. In other embodiments, any other suitable arrangement ofterminals may be utilized. In some embodiments, heating element 46 mayinclude a peripheral non-heated zone 52.

Typical voltages used to power heating element 46 include 120 VAC/60 Hzprovided using a 3-wire conduit. Embodiments also may be configured toutilize other voltages, such as 220VAC/50-60 Hz, or any other suitablevoltage and/or frequency. In one specific embodiment, each of innerheating zone 48 and outer heating zone 50 may be configured to utilize apower of 1828 Watts. In other embodiments, any other suitable amount ofpower may be supplied to each heating zone.

In some embodiments, inner heating zone 48 and outer heating zone 50 mayhave different power densities. For example, for the above-disclosedetched mica heating element, outer heating zone 50 may have a powerdensity of 1.56 Watts/cm², while inner heating zone 48 may have a powerdensity of 3.67 Watts/cm². Therefore, to maintain a desired devicemaximum power of 1828 Watts, power may alternately be supplied to innerheating zone 48 for a first, shorter amount of time, and to outerheating zone 50 for a second, longer amount of time, in a cyclical,serial manner. In one specific embodiment, power is supplied to innerheating zone 48 for approximately five seconds, and then to outerheating zone 50 for approximately ten seconds. In this manner, two1828-Watt heating zones may be powered without exceeding a total powerconsumption of 1828 Watts. Further, the relative time durations at whichpower is supplied to the heating zones may be varied depending upon thetemperatures desired for each heating zone and other operatingvariables. While the depicted heating element is disclosed as heatinggenerally concentric heating zones, it will be appreciated that theheating zones may be configured to create separate heating regions ofany other suitable shape. Further, any other suitable number of heatingzones other than two may be used.

Heating element assembly 37 is coupled to cooking surface 12 via aplurality of connectors 45. In some embodiments, connectors 45 maycouple heating element assembly 37 to cooking plate 11 so that heatingelement 46 is compressively retained against the heating surface ofcooking plate 11 under the urging of compression plate 42. This mayassist with conductive heat transfer to cooking plate 11 in embodimentswhere cooking surface profile 13 varies on heating and/or cooling.Connectors 45 may be distributed in any suitable pattern across theheating surface of cooking plate 11. Example patterns include, but arenot limited to, radial patterns and patterns concentric with a centerpoint of cooking plate 11. Any suitable number of connectors 45 may beemployed in such patterns. The number of connectors 45 employed may varywith a radial size of cooking plate 11 or with other factors, such asmaterials properties of cooking plate 11, compression plate 42,connectors 45, etc.

In some embodiments, connectors 45 may include posts extending downwardfrom the heating surface of cooking plate 11 in a direction normal tothe heating surface or in other suitable directions. Each post mayinclude threads to allow heating element 46 to be compressivelysandwiched between cooking plate 11 and compression plate 42 with aretaining nut. In such a scenario, the retaining nut may provide acompressive force for coupling compression plate 42 and cooking plate11. Thus, heating element 46 is retained against the heating surface ascompression plate 42 and heating element 46 flex to match the changingconformation of cooking plate 11 during heating and cooling.

In some embodiments employing posts and retaining nuts, each retainingnut may be tightened to a threshold torque value, which may vary fromnut to nut. This may permit preselection and/or adjustment ofcompressive forces and/or conformation directions at cooking plate 11,compression plate 42, or throughout heating element assembly 37. It willbe appreciated that one or more suitable washers may be employed in suchembodiments.

In some embodiments, each of such posts may be removably or permanentlycoupled to cooking plate 11. For example, in one scenario, connectors 45may include a plurality of studs welded to the heating surface ofcooking plate 11. In another scenario, connectors 45 may include aplurality of studs inserted into companion holes formed in cooking plate11.

Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, connectors 45 mayinclude clips that are each removably or permanently coupled to cookingplate 11. A plurality of clips may be used to sandwich heating element46 between cooking plate 11 and compression plate 42, with the clipsproviding a compressive force for coupling cooking plate 11 andcompression plate 42. Thus, as compression plate 42 flexes to match theconformation of cooking plate 11 during heating and cooling, heatingelement 46 is retained against the heating surface. Such clips may beconfigured to provide a preselected compressive force, which may permitpreselection of conformation directions at cooking plate 11, compressionplate 42, or throughout heating element assembly 37.

In some embodiments, various sub-assembly elements of heating elementassembly 37, such as heat shield 38, compression plate 42, heatingelement 46 and/or one or more of the insulating sheets may includecompanion features 43 configured to receive connectors 45. For example,in some embodiments where a plurality of posts are provided, one or moreposts may be configured to extend through complementary holes formed incompression plate 42, forming one or more post-hole pairs. Suchpost-hole pairs may assist with aligning compression plate 42 withcooking plate 11 and may provide an approach to couple other elements ofheating element assembly 37 with cooking plate 11. In some embodimentswhere a plurality of clips are provided, one or more clips may beconfigured to couple with or pass through a notch formed in a perimeteredge of one or more of the sub-assembly elements. Additionally oralternatively, one or more sub-assembly elements may include a pluralityof contact pads configured to couple with the plurality of clips.

In some embodiments, one or more companion features 43 and correspondingconnectors 45 may be sized so that a loose fit is formed there between.The resulting clearance may prevent damage to connector 45 and/or to thestructure in which companion feature 43 is formed that might otherwiseresult during expansion and/or contraction of cooking plate 11, whichmay have a different coefficient of thermal expansion from one or moreconstituents of heating element assembly 37.

In one example, complementary holes may be sized to allow acorresponding post to pass loosely through the hole yet to permit a nutto provide a compressive force within heating element assembly 37(either alone or with a suitable washer). In one specific embodiment,for one or more post-hole pairs, a smallest dimension of thecomplementary hole may be at least ½ inch in diameter and the largestdimension of the post may be less than ⅛ inch in diameter.

While the above-described embodiments relate to embodiments depictedherein, it will be appreciated that, in other embodiments, heatingelement assembly 37 may include additional and/or alternate componentsarranged in any suitable spatial arrangement.

FIG. 11 illustrates an embodiment of a method 1100 for operation of acooking apparatus. The method may be implemented via the cookingapparatus described above. Alternatively, the method may be implementedvia another suitable cooking apparatus.

Method 1100 comprises, at 1102, receiving a first request to heat afirst heating zone. In some embodiments, the request may be generatedvia a user input to a control panel. At 1104, method 1100 comprisesproviding power to the first heating zone after the request to heat thefirst heating zone is received.

At 1106, method 1100 comprises receiving a second request to heat asecond heating zone along with the first heating zone. In someembodiments, the second request may be generated via a user input to acontrol panel. At 1108, method 1100 comprises providing poweralternately to the first heating zone and to the second heating zone. Itwill be appreciated that, in some embodiments, a first time intervalduring which power is provided to the first heating zone may bedifferent from a second time interval during which power is provided tothe second heating zone. In some other embodiments, the first and secondtime intervals may be identical. In some embodiments, providing power at1108 may comprise, at 1109, providing power to the first and the secondheating zones in a cyclical, serial manner.

At 1110, method 1100 comprises receiving a signal from at least onetemperature sensor. In some embodiments, a plurality of signals may bereceived from a plurality of temperature sensors. The temperaturesensors may be attached to one or more of the heating zones. At 1112,method 1100 comprises, after receiving at least one signal, adjusting afirst interval during which power is provided to the first zone and/or asecond interval during which power is provided to the second zone.

In the foregoing specification, various features are described withreference to specific embodiments thereof. However, it will be evidentthat various modifications and changes can be made thereto withoutdeparting from the broader spirit and scope of the disclosure. Thespecification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the various embodiments ofheating elements, cooking surfaces, base and drip pan constructions,etc. are only examples, and are not to be considered in a limiting sensebecause numerous variations are possible. The subject matter of thepresent disclosure includes all novel and non-obvious combinations andsubcombinations of the various features, functions, and/or propertiesdisclosed herein.

1. A portable cooking system, comprising: a cooking plate having acontinuous cooking surface; a heating element assembly disposed beneaththe cooking surface; a temperature controller for varying a temperatureof the cooking surface; and a base that supports the cooking plate on anunderlying surface, the base comprising an integrally formed drip panlocated beneath the cooking surface, the integrally formed drip pancomprising a recessed portion formed in a top surface of the base. 2.The portable cooking system of claim 1, wherein the integrally formeddrip pan has a square shape, and wherein the cooking surface has a roundshape, and wherein the base includes an integrally formed pedestalcoupled to the cooking plate with a gasket.
 3. The portable cookingsystem of claim 1, wherein the heating element assembly comprises aflexible heating element compressively coupled with the cooking platesuch that the flexible heating element is retained against a heatingsurface of the cooking plate disposed beneath the cooking surface. 4.The portable cooking system of claim 3, wherein the flexible heatingelement assembly further comprises a flexible compression plate forcompressively coupling the flexible heating element to the heatingsurface to maintain contact between the flexible heating element and thecooking plate as the cooking surface changes shape due to thermalexpansion and/or thermal contraction.
 5. The portable cooking system ofclaim 4, wherein the cooking plate is formed at least in part from metalconfigured to vary in convexity responsive to heating and/or cooling ofthe cooking plate, wherein the flexible compression plate is formed atleast in part from metal, and wherein a thickness of the cooking plateis greater than a thickness of the flexible compression plate so thatmore heat is transferred to the cooking plate than to the flexiblecompression plate.
 6. The portable cooking system of claim 5, whereinthe cooking plate has a first upward convexity at a first, lowertemperature and a second upward convexity at a second, highertemperature, and wherein the first upward convexity is less convex thanthe second upward convexity.
 7. The portable cooking system of claim 3,wherein the flexible heating element comprises an etched mica heatingelement.
 8. A portable cooking system comprising: a cooking plate havinga continuous cooking surface with a cooking surface profile that variesin convexity responsive to heating and/or cooling of the cooking plate;a heating element assembly disposed beneath the cooking surface, theheating element assembly comprising: a flexible compression plate, and aflexible heating element disposed between the flexible compression plateand the cooking plate; and a plurality of connectors joining the heatingelement assembly to the cooking plate so that the flexible heatingelement is compressively retained against a heating surface of thecooking plate by the flexible compression plate as the cooking surfaceprofile varies, the heating surface being disposed on an opposite sideof the cooking plate as the cooking surface.
 9. The portable cookingsystem of claim 8, wherein the cooking plate is formed at least in partfrom metal.
 10. The portable cooking system of claim 8, wherein theheating element assembly comprises an etched mica heating element. 11.The portable cooking system of claim 8, wherein the plurality ofconnectors comprise a plurality of posts extending downward from aheating surface of the cooking plate in a direction normal to theheating surface, the heating surface being disposed on an opposite sideof the cooking plate as the cooking surface.
 12. The portable cookingsystem of claim 11, wherein the plurality of posts are welded to theheating surface.
 13. The portable cooking system of claim 11, whereinthe plurality of posts extend through complementary holes formed in theflexible compression plate to form a plurality of post-hole pairs foraligning the flexible compression plate to the cooking plate, andwherein, for each post-hole pair, a smallest dimension of acomplementary hole is at least one-half of an inch in diameter and alargest dimension of the post is less than one-eighth of an inch indiameter.
 14. The portable cooking system of claim 8, wherein theheating element assembly further comprises one or more insulating sheetsand a heat shield.
 15. The portable cooking system of claim 8, whereinthe flexible compression plate is formed at least in part from metal,wherein the cooking plate is formed at least in part from metal, andwherein a thermal mass of the flexible compression plate is less than athermal mass of the cooking plate so that more heat is transferred tothe cooking plate than to the flexible compression plate.
 16. Theportable cooking system of claim 15, wherein the flexible compressionplate has a thickness that is less than a thickness of the cookingplate.
 17. The portable cooking system of claim 16, wherein the cookingplate has a thickness of between three-sixteenths of an inch andone-quarter of an inch thick, and wherein the flexible compression platehas a thickness of between 0.02 inch and 0.125 inch.
 18. A portablecooking system, comprising: a metal cooking plate having a continuouscooking surface with a cooking surface profile that varies in convexityresponsive to heating and/or cooling of the metal cooking plate; aheating element assembly disposed beneath the cooking surface, theheating element assembly comprising: a flexible metal compression plate,and an etched mica heating element disposed between the flexible metalcompression plate and the metal cooking plate; and a plurality of postsjoining the heating element assembly to the metal cooking plate so thatthe etched mica heating element is compressively retained against aheating surface of the metal cooking plate by the flexible metalcompression plate as the cooking surface profile varies, the heatingsurface being disposed on an opposite side of the metal cooking plate asthe cooking surface; a temperature controller for varying a temperatureof the cooking surface; and a base that supports the cooking plate on anunderlying surface, the base comprising an integrally formed drip panlocated beneath the cooking surface, the integrally formed drip pancomprising a recessed portion formed in a top surface of the base. 19.The portable cooking system of claim 18, wherein the metal cooking platehas a first upward convexity at a first, lower temperature and a secondupward convexity at a second, higher temperature, and wherein the firstupward convexity is less convex than the second upward convexity. 20.The portable cooking system of claim 19, wherein a thermal mass of theflexible metal compression plate is less than a thermal mass of themetal cooking plate so that more heat is transferred to the metalcooking plate than to the flexible metal compression plate.